Caffè Nero co-founder Antonio Motisi has joined the board of Bon Appetit – the specialist catering group that provides 30,000 meals a day for construction workers.
Bon Appetit provides workforce feeding for large scale and logistically challenging projects, such as the 2012 London Olympics, Heathrow Airport and Westfield Stratford. Major clients include Berkeley Group, Bouygues, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Lendlease, Mace and Multiplex.
Motisi will oversee a wellbeing initiative to promote greater awareness of the importance of good nutrition for mental health. He was previously instrumental in shaping the first ever Caffè Nero, which went on to become a nationwide concern with over 600 outlets in the UK and a turnover of almost £400m.
Motisi said: “We know from numerous studies that good nutrition can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing. We’ll be reaching out to construction workers via the Bon Appetit app to conduct a nationwide survey, asking for views on this subject.”
Bon Appetit has a policy of freshly preparing meals onsite and promoting healthy menu choices. The company was founded by Antonio Manzi in 1969 as a family business with a single restaurant in Blackfriars, London. It has since grown into one of the UK’s largest privately owned workplace catering operations, which is headed by brothers Robert and Paolo Manzi.
A study published last year by Salford University found that poor access to quality nutrition during the working day can lead to construction workers skipping meals and snacking on unhealthy food choices.
A spokesperson for Bon Appetit said: “We are delighted to welcome Antonio aboard. He brings a wealth of experience at corporate level and a proven track record.”
